Anaheim Ducks at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 12/22/2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Anaheim Ducks travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, December 22, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Ducks at -103 and the Sabres at -127.

Anaheim has a record of 19-13-5 this season. They are 3rd in the Pacific Division. They have scored 95 goals and given up 106 goals for a point differential of -11. For the season they have an ATS record of 19-17-0 and an over/under record of 13-21-0. Buffalo has a record of 20-10-5 this year. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 107 goals and surrendered 103 for a goal differential of +4. Their record against the spread is 20-15-0 while their over/under record is 19-15-0.

Valuable Anaheim Ducks Betting Trends

The Anaheim Ducks are 19-17-0 straight up this year

The Anaheim Ducks are 13-21-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 20-15-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 19-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Anaheim Ducks Injuries

12/12/18 C Rickard Rakell Ankle is out indefinitely
12/12/18 GO Ryan Miller MCL is out indefinitely
11/15/18 D Cam Fowler Facial is out indefinitely
10/01/18 D Korbinian Holzer Wrist is out indefinitely
10/01/18 RW Patrick Eaves Shoulder is out indefinitely
09/26/18 RW Corey Perry Knee is out indefinitely

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/20/18 D Jake McCabe Upper Body is upgraded to questionable Friday vs Washington
12/20/18 D Lawrence Pilut Upper Body is upgraded to questionable Friday vs Washington
12/19/18 RW Jason Pominville Undisclosed is questionable Friday vs Washington
12/19/18 D Nathan Beaulieu Undisclosed is questionable Friday vs Washington
12/07/18 D Casey Nelson Upper Body is out indefinitely
10/04/18 C Scott Wilson Leg is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

John Gibson has 15 wins and 10 losses this season in net for the Ducks. He has 959 shots against him and he's given up 71 goals. He's made 888 saves for a save percentage of 93%. Brandon Montour has accumulated 19 total points this season for the Ducks. He has 5 goals this year with 71 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 23.1 minutes played per game. Ryan Getzlaf averages 19.9 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 9 goals on 69 shots. He has 20 assists, giving him a total of 29 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Jeff Skinner has scored 37 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 25 goals this season with 107 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 23%. He has a total of 12 assists on the season and averages 18.1 minutes played per game. Carter Hutton has 13 wins and 9 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 739 shots against him and he's surrendered 61 goals. He's made 678 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Jack Eichel averages 20.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 14 goals on 152 shots. He has 32 assists, giving him a total of 46 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Ducks have allowed 132 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80% this year. That is 16th in the NHL. They average 27 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.60% for the season. They allow 35 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%, which is ranked 1st in the league. The Ducks have 43 total points this season, ranking 9th in the NHL in offense. They are 27th in the league with 95 goals while they've given up 106 goals, which is 16th overall. They have had 102 power play opportunities and scored 15 goals on those chances for a percentage of 15%. That is 25th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Sabres are 16th with 107 goals scored while they are 20th in the NHL with 103 goals allowed this year. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.60%. They give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 7th place in the league. The Sabres have a total of 45 points this year, which is 6th in the NHL. They have 21 power play goals on 110 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks their power play unit 19th. They've allowed 103 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, which is 8th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Anaheim is 30th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 44.8%, as they've attempted 1,914 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,361 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 44.2% as they have 1,427 attempts while they have given up 1,804 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 30th in the league. The Ducks start possessions in the offensive zone 48% of the time, which is 27th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52% for the season. That is 6th overall in the NHL. They have 1,139 face-off wins compared to 1,054 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.9%. That ranks them 6th in the league. On defense Anaheim has 835 hits and they have blocked 557 shots from the opposition, putting them 3rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 22nd in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.3% for the season, which is 10th in the NHL. They have 1,034 face-off wins compared to 1,115 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.1%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense Buffalo has 644 hits and they have blocked 459 shots from the opposition, which is 26th in the league. Buffalo is 22nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.8% as they've attempted 1,937 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,033 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.2% ranks 20th as they have 1,522 attempts while they have given up 1,574 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Ducks/Sabres NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo -127

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink